A top pitching prospect picked his way through seven-plus innings Tuesday at Coors Field. His name was Andrew Heaney.

At 24 years old, the rookie Heaney pitched in just his third game this season for the Angels and first away from Anaheim. He won his first major-league game last week, against the Yankees. Against the Rockies, he allowed two runs on eight hits. He struck out five in 7 innings. The Angels blasted the Rockies, 10-2.

But while the Angels are rolling – at 45-38, they have the third-best record in the American League – in part behind a boost from Heaney, the Rockies are walking a different path.

Heaney entered the season as the Angels top pitching prospect. He was a first-round pick, No. 9 overall, out of Oklahoma State by the Marlins in 2012. The Marlins called up Heaney last season in June, in his second full pro year. He struggled some in seven games, but he learned. Miami flipped him to the Dodgers in the Dan Haren and Dee Gordon trade, then he went to the Angels in the Howie Kendrick deal. He started this season at Triple-A Salt Lake and the Angels called him up last month.

Now he’s rolling. He’s allowed two or fewer runs in each of his three starts this year. He has a 1.77 ERA.

The Rockies are in a similar situation with a similar pitching prospect, but they’re handling him differently.

Jon Gray, who is just six months younger than Heaney at 23, was drafted in the first round in 2013 (at No. 3, one year after Heaney), out of Oklahoma. Like Heaney was last year, Gray is in his second full pro season. But while the Marlins called up Heaney in June, the Rockies are keeping Gray in Triple-A.

The Rockies created a roster spot Tuesday when they placed Justin Morneau on the 60-day disabled list. But they used it to add minor-league reliever Gonzalez Germen.

The move spoke a thousand words. Instead of calling up Gray, the Rockies put Germen on the 40-man roster and sent him to the minors.

Gray on Tuesday pitched six scoreless innings for Triple-A Albuquerque. He struck out eight and walked just two. In his past five starts, Gray has 39 strikeouts in 28-plus innings (nearly eight per game and 1.4 per inning).

“Jon Gray is doing a great job right now of learning lessons and evolving at the Triple-A level,” Rockies GM Jeff Bridich said last week. “So there are things that he needs to do and will continue to do. And we’ll continue to exercise patience with him.”

Drew Stubbs, who homered Tuesday for one of the Rockies’ two runs off Heaney, said a young pitching prospect can certainly succeed in the big leagues if the situation is right.

“Having a plan and sticking to it” is key, Stubbs said of Heaney’s outing. “(Angels’ Chris) Iannetta is a veteran catcher. And a lot of times if you have a guy who really knows what he’s doing back there, you can guide a young guy through a game.

“Heaney was aggressive with his fastball and really commanded it on both sides. He mixed in a changeup and a slider, whenever he could. His fastball is good enough. If you have a low 90s fastball, and you’re locating like he was, you’ll be effective.”